Disclosed herein is a vehicle decorative component and a vehicle decorative component installing method, and particularly a vehicle decorative component provided with a design property (decorative property) as a decorative component, the vehicle decorative component for exerting a practical function, and a method of installing the vehicle decorative component.
A vehicle decorative component such as a decorating component used for a vehicle lining is already known, and some function as a decorating illumination in a case where it gets dark in a vehicle interior such as nighttime. As one example of a vehicle decorative component provided with an illumination function in such a way, a courtesy lamp attached to the vehicle interior side of a vehicle door (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Document No. 2005-280657 A (“the '657 Document”)). In general, this courtesy lamp is lit when the door is opened to illuminate around feet of a passenger and support getting-on/off, and to notify the following vehicle or person of a state where the door is opened.
However, the above courtesy lamp has a different look from other peripheral members in order to exert the above effect as the illumination. For example, unlike a color tone of the peripheral members, only the courtesy lamp has a milky white lens. Therefore, the courtesy lamp at the time of lights-out does not harmonize with the peripheral members, but rather appears to stand out. In such a way, the courtesy lamp serving as the conventional decorating illumination lacks unity with the peripheral members and has a poor design property.
A light-emitting vehicle decorative component has a problem different from the above problem. Specifically speaking, a use of the light-emitting vehicle decorative component includes, for example, a use as a decorating illumination. However, usage of the light-emitting vehicle decorative component is desirably more variable. In particular, effective utilization of the vehicle decorative component for enhancing elaborateness of an indoor environment of a vehicle is required.
Another problem of the light-emitting vehicle decorative component is considered. Specifically speaking, in a case where the vehicle decorative component has a light source and a light guiding body, efficient incidence of light from the light source on the light guiding body is required. That is, when the light from the light source can be efficiently incident on the light guiding body, the installing number of the light source can also be reduced. For efficient incidence of the light from the light source on the light guiding body, there is a need for constantly maintaining a clearance between the light source and the light guiding body.
As a further problem of the light-emitting vehicle decorative component, in a case where the vehicle decorative component has a light source, a light guiding body, and a holder that holds these parts as constituent components, and when the light guiding body is assembled to the holder by snap-fit, a gap is formed between the light guiding body and the holder and backlash is sometimes generated due to the gap. When such backlash is generated, there is a concern that a noise is generated. As a method of suppressing the above backlash, it is thought to fill the gap by putting an unwoven cloth or the like into the gap between the light guiding body and the holder. However, cost is increased due to an increase in the number of components. Further, by putting the unwoven cloth or the like, the light leaked out from the light guiding body is not reflected on a surface of the holder. Thus, there is a possibility that the light is not properly emitted from the light guiding body.
In addition to the problems as described above, the vehicle decorative component also has a problem relating to an installing method thereof. Specifically speaking, regarding an installing task of the vehicle decorative component, the task is desirably easier and the man-hours are desirably smaller. At the time of setting up the vehicle decorative component, when the directions of assembling constituent members of the vehicle decorative component are diverse, time and effort, such as changing postures of the members to match the assembling directions every time the constituent members are assembled, are required.
In a case where the vehicle decorative component has the light source, the light guiding body, and the holder that holds these parts, the light source and the light guiding body are sometimes assembled to the holder at positions adjacent to each other. With such a configuration, for example when the light source and the light guiding body are assembled to the holder in such a manner that a clearance between the light source and the light guiding body becomes a relatively short distance, depending on an assembling method, there is a fear that the light source and the light guiding body are not property assembled to the holder due to interference between the light source and the light guiding body.